By the Power Vested in Me
by bingblot
Summary: Yet another mid-ep filler (and partial post-ep) to 7x6, "The Time of Our Lives"-because I'm never going to get tired of the Wedding. The justice of the peace who conducted the ceremony reflects on Castle and Beckett as he meets them for the first time on their wedding day.


_Disclaimer: The only thing I own in this fic is Brad Langford (and his family). Everything else belongs to ABC. _

_Author's Note: I did it again. Yet another mid-ep filler for 7x6, "The Time of Our Lives" and no, I'm never getting over my obsession with this episode, apparently. _

_For JAG'ed Bones in the Casckett, because you gave me the idea for this. _

_An experiment in trying to get into how a stranger would see Caskett on their wedding. _

**By the Power Vested In Me**

Justice Bradley Langford started a little when the sound of his office phone ringing cut through the silence in his office.

"This is Judge Langford," he answered.

"Judge, hi, Chief Brady here."

Brad leaned back in his chair, smiling. "Chief, good to hear from you. How are you?"

"Oh, I'm fine."

"How can I help you?"

Chief Brady hesitated and then rushed ahead, "Actually, Judge, I'm calling about a favor."

Brad straightened up in his chair. "Okay," he drew out slowly. "Chief, you know that as a judge, I can't…" he began a little cautiously, hiding his surprise. It wasn't like the usually genial and upstanding John Brady to ask anything that might even smack of impropriety but at the same time, the local police chief asking the local justice of the peace who also happened to be a personal friend for a favor? That could get dicey pretty quickly, especially here in the Hamptons where gossip about other people's business flew around like leaves in a windstorm.

"No!" Chief Brady blurted out. "Good lord, no, it's not that kind of favor at all. No, I wanted to ask you to perform a wedding ceremony."

Brad relaxed again. "John, correct me if I'm wrong but you're already married," he quipped.

The chief laughed sounding more himself. "Oh, it's not for me. I'm calling on behalf of Richard Castle, the author."

Richard Castle! Well, well, well… This was shaping up to be an interesting day.

"Richard Castle," he repeated and then remembered what exactly John was asking for. "Wait, Richard Castle wants me to perform his wedding ceremony?"

"Yes."

"Well, that would be my honor," Brad smiled. "When does he want to get married?"

Chief Brady hesitated again and then answered, "Ah, that's the other part of the favor. He wants to get married today, this afternoon in fact."

"Today!"

"Yeah, today. I think they're planning to have the ceremony around 4:30 to 5 at his house in the Hamptons followed by a small family dinner."

Brad blinked. "But that's less than 3 hours from now."

"Yeah, I know," the chief said. "Look, Judge, I wouldn't ask this if I could think of anyone else but I know you, Brad, and I know Cheryl and when Castle asked me if I knew of a justice of the peace or anyone who would be willing to officiate a ceremony on such short notice, you leaped to mind. I know you hate not being home for dinner with Cheryl and the kids but I'm asking as a favor."

Brad laughed in spite of himself. "Relax, John, I'd be glad to do it."

He heard the chief expel a breath. "You will? Oh thank you."

"Don't thank me until you hear what I want in return," Brad said with mock sternness.

"Uh, okay, what do you want in return?" John asked, a note of caution returning to his voice.

"I want autographed copies of _Raging Heat_ and the latest Derrick Storm book for Cheryl, for my mother, and for my mother-in-law. And if next time Richard Castle is in town, you could arrange for Cheryl to meet him, I wouldn't say no to that either."

The chief laughed. "Done!" he answered promptly. "I'll let Castle know."

Brad smiled, enjoying himself now. "I want a personalized message in the books, mind, not just a signature."

"I'll tell Castle and I'm sure he'd be glad to do it for you as long as you tell him your mom's and your mother-in-law's names. Oh, and they've both written their own vows so really you won't need to say anything except pronounce them husband and wife. And you are, of course, invited to join them for the dinner after the ceremony. That is, if Cheryl won't mind you missing a family dinner on such short notice."

Brad laughed. "I think Cheryl wouldn't let me back into the house tonight if she found out that I missed out on the chance to have dinner with Richard Castle and the real Nikki Heat in his own house," he joked.

"Good, then! It's all settled."

"Just one more thing, John," Brad spoke up, returning to matters of business for the moment. "Do they have a marriage license?"

"They're getting one probably as we speak in the City before they drive up."

"They realize there's a waiting period."

"Oh, they're getting the waiting period waived by a judge in the City too."

"Okay, then, I guess they've got it all under control."

"I would think so. You know he's been through this twice before and then, as if that weren't enough, he and Detective Beckett were all set to be married a few months ago before he disappeared."

"Oh, I remember. Cheryl and her mother were almost in tears reading about his disappearance just before he was supposed to be married and when there was no word of him for a month and they started to think he would never be found, you should have heard how upset they were at the thought that there'd be no more books by him," Brad told the chief with a small laugh. He had been as sympathetic as he could but part of him hadn't been able to help finding it a little amusing how personally the women had taken the man's disappearance, acting as if he was a close personal friend of theirs and not a total stranger, even if they had read all the man's books.

Chief Brady laughed. "I didn't realize Cheryl was such a fan of the man's books."

"Oh, she is, believe me. The day after one of his books comes out, I already know in advance that I'm not going to be able to get her attention," Brad joked. "If I didn't know better, I'd be jealous."

John laughed. "Well, no need to be jealous. Castle is head over heels in love with Detective Beckett, I can tell you that from personal knowledge."

Brad smiled. "That's good to know since he's going to be marrying her today."

The chief laughed again. "Listen, Brad, thanks. I appreciate it."

"Glad to do it," Brad assured him easily. And it was true. Performing weddings was probably his favorite part of being a justice of the peace. Dealing with petty crimes could get a little wearying day after day so it was always a privilege to see two people pledging their lives to one another. A wedding was such a hopeful thing, an optimistic thing.

He listened and jotted down the address of Richard Castle's Hamptons house and then, once he'd hung up with John, picked up the phone again to call Cheryl, already smiling to himself at what her reaction would be to hear that he was going to be officiating the wedding ceremony of one of her favorite authors.

Some hours later, Brad parked his car in front of Richard Castle's house and let out a low whistle of admiration. It was really an impressive house, on the beachfront, naturally, a spacious mansion but without looking overly grand or pretentious, unlike some of the other mansions in the Hamptons, that always made Brad wonder if the occupants thought they were old-fashioned aristocracy.

He'd been told that the ceremony was going to be outside, in the back yard, and so he automatically turned his steps toward the side gate leading to the back rather than going up to the front door.

The man was taller than he'd expected, was Brad's first thought when he walked into the yard and the author, recognizable from his book jacket pictures, turned and walked towards him with a smile.

"Judge Langford? Hi, I'm Rick Castle."

"Just call me Brad," he corrected, shaking the man's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Castle. Chief Brady may have told you that my wife, my mother, and my mother-in-law are all huge fans of your books."

Mr. Castle's eyes crinkled a little bit as he grinned. "Yes, Chief Brady did mention that. And please, call me Rick. I hope you know how much we appreciate your agreeing to do this on such short notice."

"I expect to be getting some signed books out of this so it's not entirely altruistic," Brad said humorously.

Mr. Castle laughed. "Yes. The books are waiting in my study and I'll be happy to sign them all once this is over."

Brad felt his smile broaden at the phrasing. "You sound impatient, Rick."

Rick grinned. "You have no idea."

"Well, I think I have some idea," Brad offered and then lowered his voice to say, seriously, "I heard what happened to prevent your last wedding."

Rick's grin faded and Brad almost wanted to kick himself for mentioning it. Not tactful, he thought angrily, what were you thinking to bring up the man's kidnapping and disappearance?

Rick opened his mouth to speak but Brad hurried on before he could, changing the subject. "I'm looking forward to meeting Detective Beckett. If she's even half as interesting in person as she is on the page, she must be quite a woman. And of course, you probably know Chief Brady is a big fan of hers."

Brad relaxed a little—he'd said the right thing this time—as the author's entire expression immediately changed, softened, love and pride and joy radiating out of him. Wow, John Brady had not been exaggerating one bit when he said that Castle was head over heels in love with his bride. "She's extraordinary," Rick said simply. "And I'm a lucky man."

Brad smiled. "Congratulations, Rick. Now, if you'll permit me a little bit of official business, I do need to check and see your marriage license."

"Oh, of course." The author reached inside his jacket and took out a folded piece of paper. "Here it is."

Brad thanked the man with a nod and then stepped to the side before he unfolded the paper, his mind switching back into an official mode as his eye ran over the license, mentally checking off a list to see all was in order. He wasn't usually so thorough in his checks—the license was a straightforward form, after all—but he figured after all this couple had already been through, there would be no harm in being careful. No need to have anything get in the way of the validity of this ceremony because of any minor snafu with the paperwork, and then of course, this was a last-minute thing. Fortunately, everything looked fine. A judge had signed the license to waive the 24-hour waiting period so that was set. All that was needed was his own attesting signature once the ceremony was over. Good.

He slipped the license carefully into his jacket pocket and then turned to walk up to the open pavilion.

An older woman and a young girl were already there—ah yes, Rick's mother and his daughter. He shook their hands with a smile. "Brad Langford," he introduced himself. "It's good to meet you both."

"Martha Rodgers, Richard's mother," the older woman said. "And this is Alexis, my granddaughter."

He nodded at the girl. "Miss Castle."

"Just Alexis, Judge Langford," the girl smiled quickly.

"Then I'm Brad," he agreed easily. "I hear you two are the ones that have gotten everything ready for this impromptu ceremony."

Ms. Rodgers waved a hand. "All we really had to do was call for catering and Alexis prepared the bouquet for Katherine so there wasn't much to do."

"I'm glad I could be here for it," he said sincerely.

"Thank you for agreeing to come on such short notice," Ms. Rodgers said.

Brad turned to smile at Richard Castle as he approached, almost bounding up the few steps eagerly. "Ah, the eager bridegroom," he commented and the two women laughed.

Rick shook his hand again, briefly. "Thank you for coming," he said again.

Brad waved off the thanks and let the other man move on to have a moment with his daughter and his mother.

And then the bride appeared.

Brad glanced at Rick, who was staring at his bride with unabashed admiration and love, and then back at the bride and the older man who had been talking to Rick earlier, who must be her father, as they drew near. Yes, Rick Castle was a lucky man, Brad mused. Detective Beckett was a lovely woman, stunning in her white outfit, and so clearly filled with happiness it would bring a smile to the hardest-hearted person in the world.

Detective Beckett turned to face Rick. "Hi," she greeted her groom quietly, and even the one simple word of greeting was so infused with emotion that Brad felt a little abashed, fleetingly wanted to turn away, as if he, a perfect stranger, was intruding on a private moment.

The detective stepped forward to hand her bouquet to Alexis and then they were both ready.

"Whenever you're ready," Brad murmured but he had the odd sense that neither bride nor groom really heard him, let alone registered his presence standing next to them. And that was just as it should be. The officiant of a wedding ceremony wasn't supposed to be the center of attention, he thought, and then his mind briefly flashed to the clergyman in the movie, _The Princess Bride_, that his little Sasha loved so much. _Mawwiage is what bwings us together today. _

Brad sternly pushed back the urge to laugh, shoving the thought out of his mind, as Detective Beckett began to say her vows. And then he didn't even need to try to be appropriately solemn, his mind gripped, his heart moved, by the words and the utter sincerity with which she spoke.

"The moment that I met you, my life became extraordinary."

Extraordinary. Brad caught the echo of the way Rick had described her and guessed this was a special word, personal to them.

"You taught me to be my best self, to look forward to tomorrow's adventures. When I was vulnerable, you were strong. I love you, Richard Castle, and I want to live my life in the warmth of your smile and the strength of your embrace. I promise you I will love you. I will be your friend and your partner in crime and in life. Always."

_Oh._ This was why Brad much preferred it when a couple wrote their own vows. It wasn't that he didn't like the traditional form of the wedding ceremony, the promises to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, etc. It was a perfectly good summation of what marriage, at its best, should be. But vows written by the couple themselves were always so much more personal, more moving. Because there was a story in these vows, he thought. He didn't know what the story was but he could hear it in Detective Beckett's tone, see it in the way Rick's expression shifted, reacted to each phrase, and knew the words meant so much more to Rick than the simple promise of "I do" would have, even if in the end, they all meant the same thing.

Rick let out his breath and spoke, quietly but with an underlying certainty that demonstrated not only that he meant every word but that he knew, with the sort of bone-deep, unchanging confidence that was only given to people at very few times in this uncertain world, that he would always mean the words he spoke today.

"The moment we met, my life became extraordinary. You taught me more about myself than I knew there was to learn. You are the joy in my heart."

There was no doubting that Rick was a writer, Brad caught himself thinking inconsequentially, the power and simplicity of that sentence was undeniable. He filed it away in his mind to tell Cheryl—although, on second thought, it would make Cheryl more inclined to swoon over Richard Castle than she already was, so maybe not.

"You're the last person I want to see every night when I close my eyes. I love you, Katherine Beckett, and the mystery of you is the one I want to spend the rest of my life exploring."

No doubting that Rick was a writer of mystery novels, Brad mentally edited his earlier thought. He would relate this sentence to Cheryl; she would appreciate knowing that Richard Castle, in person, still spoke and thought in terms in mysteries to solve.

"I promise to love you, to be your friend and your partner in crime and life, 'til death do us part, and for the time of our lives."

The time of their lives—making promises for a lifetime and a promise to have fun, to enjoy life, as well. And somehow, seeing the bride's bright smile and remembering the mischief glinting from Rick Castle's grin, Brad had no doubt that the promise would be kept.

Brad spoke up now, firmly, intoned the official words as solemnly as he could to mark the magnitude of the moment even as he realized the utter happiness, even giddiness, the bride and groom were feeling. These words were what made it official. This was why he was here, why any officiant was required at the ceremony. This was what separated wedding vows from any other vow or promise made in any other context. People made promises to each other on a daily basis, although not usually for a lifetime. Friends made unspoken promises to provide support and help when necessary. The difference was not in the sincerity with which the promises were made, nor was it in the frequency with which the promises were kept or broken, the divorce rate a sad testament to the fact that even wedding promises were too often broken. Wedding promises were different because they were recognized by the rest of the world, by the law, by the government, by society as a whole. Marriage was different. Marriage was not just a promise made between two people but a promise made by the rest of the world to the couple, to respect the bond of the relationship, to recognize the importance of one person to the other person. For all the most important incidents of life, marriage meant that the world recognized that bond—power of attorney, next of kin in times of illness, joint ownership of property, testimonial privileges in a courtroom making private communications inviolate in a way that no other private communication was, legally speaking. Marriage—it was, Brad always thought, perhaps the most powerful authority he had as a justice of the peace, to join together two separate individuals in what was intended to be a lifetime commitment, to make the promise of recognition on behalf of the state.

"By the power vested in me by the state of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife."

And it was done.

No longer the separate, independent entities, Richard Castle and Katherine Beckett. Now, in the eyes of the world, they had formed a separate, independent unit, a partnership. Mr.-and-Mrs.-Castle.

The new Mrs. Castle gave a small laugh before kissing her husband and Brad took a small step backwards, giving them their moment, and averting his eyes to admire the view of the beach. It was a stunning view, he thought inconsequentially, and well worth admiring, although he suspected he was the only person present who had the slightest inclination to notice the surroundings. But then, that was as it should be too.

He heard a step and turned to smile at Ms. Rodgers as she swept up to him, shaking his hand again.

"Congratulations, Ms. Rodgers. I'm sure your son and his wife will be very happy."

"Please call me Martha. I just want to make sure you know you're more than welcome to stay and join us for dinner. Richard should have mentioned it but you'll have to excuse my son and my daughter," she said engagingly, with a small laugh and wave of her hand in the direction of the newly-married couple. "They're not normally so lacking in manners."

Brad grinned. "I believe rudeness is expected in newlyweds so don't apologize on my behalf. And I would be happy to join you for dinner. My wife will be agog to hear more about her favorite author," he added lightly.

Martha smiled. "Ah, your wife is a fan of Richard's books?"

"My wife, my mother, and my mother-in-law," he corrected. "I'm surrounded by fans of Richard Castle so you can understand why I could hardly turn down the request to officiate at his wedding. I would never have heard the end of it if I had," he laughed a little.

"Well, if they are such fans, I'm sure Richard will be happy to sign a few books—"

"Don't worry, Ms. Rodgers," he interrupted quickly. "He's already promised to give me autographed copies of his latest works."

"Oh, good then." She glanced back at her son, who had his arms around his wife's waist and was whispering something to her, and then smiled. "You'll probably have to remind him of his promise. I believe my son has forgotten that the rest of the world exists at the moment."

Brad laughed. "It's understandable. I think I spent the entirety of my wedding day in a trance. To this day, some of my relatives laugh at me because they bring up entire conversations we had at my wedding that I have no recollection of whatsoever."

Martha laughed. "Then Richard is in good company. I'm glad to hear it." She paused. "We have a bottle of champagne waiting. Would you care to join us in a toast?"

"I would love to."

He accompanied Martha past the newlyweds, who still appeared quite heart-warmingly oblivious to the rest of the world, and over to where a bucket of ice rested on a stand, a bottle of champagne—expensive champagne, he mentally noted, although no more than he should have expected given the size of the house and the fact that this was Richard Castle, the bestselling author—waiting beside it.

Alexis and the bride's father, who introduced himself as Jim Beckett, joined them and, after a glance at Martha, Brad uncorked the bottle of champagne, managing to do so with only a small trickle spilling over onto the cuff of his shirt, before he poured the champagne into four waiting flutes. (Six flutes had been set out but Brad doubted either the bride or groom was interested in something as mundane as champagne.)

Martha passed around the flutes and they all paused, glasses raised.

"To Richard and Katherine," Martha offered.

"To love," Alexis added quietly, throwing a soft glance in the direction of her father and his new wife.

"To family and a happy future," Jim Beckett said, exchanging a small smile with Alexis.

"To Richard and Katherine," Brad echoed.

They all, as if on cue, glanced over at the bride and groom, and then exchanged smiles before drinking from their glasses.

Jim took the barest sip, Brad noticed rather absently, before putting his flute down and Alexis had barely more before she too put down her glass, and both turned to watch Rick and his wife, who were now dancing together.

"They look so happy together," Brad found himself murmuring and glanced at Martha to see that she, too, was now watching her son and daughter-in-law as they swayed together.

"They're in love," Martha responded. "And they've been through a lot to get here."

"I've been a justice of the peace for almost ten years now," Brad mused aloud. "And I've officiated at maybe 100 weddings by now and I must say I don't think I've ever seen a couple look so certain of themselves and of each other." He smiled slightly. "No matter how in love, brides and grooms are almost unfailingly nervous."

Martha smiled. "My daughter is a police detective. If she ever feels nervous, I don't think she would let anyone see it. Except for Richard, of course," she added after a moment.

"Yes, I know. Detective Nikki Heat," he said, by way of explanation. He might not have read any of the books himself but Cheryl had not devoured all of the Nikki Heat series for nothing and Brad had learned rather more than he wished to, at least at the time, about the fictional female detective. Now, having met Richard Castle and seen Detective Beckett, he thought he might actually try reading the books.

Martha gave a brief chuckle. "Ah yes, of course, Nikki Heat. I always forget that my daughter's reputation precedes her through her fictional counterpart."

Brad smiled, noting again how easily Martha had taken to referring to Detective Beckett—or Mrs. Castle, he supposed he should call her now—as her daughter and not even as her daughter-in-law. And if the way Jim was smiling as he watched his daughter dance with Rick was any indication, Jim approved too. So this really would be a family, warm and loving, just as it should be, because at their best, weddings also united families and not only two individuals. "You sound very proud of both your son and his wife."

Martha smiled. "I have always been proud of my son and Kate is, well, extraordinary," she said with a soft laugh. She turned to look at Brad. "Do you have children, Brad?"

He nodded, smiling automatically as he always did at the bare mention of his kids. "Two," he answered. "A daughter, Sasha, who's 10, and Ben, who just turned 7."

"How wonderful."

"They're exhausting," he said with a soft laugh but knew he sounded proud rather than rueful.

"But still the best thing in your life," Martha added, giving him one of those parent-to-parent looks.

"Yes," he agreed and found himself telling a story of Ben's latest mishap and one of Sasha's precocious stories after school. In some corner of his mind, he kept watching Martha to see if there was any sign that he was talking too much about Ben and Sasha—today was supposed to be about Martha's son and daughter, not his, after all—but he saw only interest and amusement so he continued talking to Martha, falling into one of those conversations that only parents can have with each other, exchanging stories about their kids. He knew Martha Rodgers was an actress, which explained her tendency to use dramatic gestures and sometimes exaggerated expressions, but he also found her to be warm-hearted and open and an engaging conversationalist. Cheryl would like her and he knew his own mother would enjoy her company as well.

So it was with a little surprise that Brad realized how much time had passed when he heard Martha excuse herself momentarily and take a few steps closer to the pavilion. "Richard, Katherine darling."

To his credit, Rick didn't start, although it was obvious that the sound of his mother calling his name had pulled him out of the almost dream-like state both he and his bride had been in since the ceremony ended. "Yes, Mother?"

"It's getting dark so I was thinking it might be time to move this party indoors."

Detective Beckett—or Mrs. Castle, he supposed—laughed a little. "Oh, of course, Martha. We're so—"

Martha cut her off with a wave of her hand. "Nonsense, darling, I was only thinking that some of us might start to get chilly, though of course you have Richard to keep you warm."

Brad stifled a laugh, adding outspoken to his mental list of Martha Rodgers's qualities. Outspoken and effective, as Rick laughed, pausing to whisper something into Katherine's ear that made her laugh softly and then nudge him with her elbow, before the newlyweds (finally) stepped off the pavilion and joined everyone else.

And Brad watched as Rick released his wife for the first time since the ceremony had ended to pull his daughter into his arms, kissing her hair and grinning at her, while the bride was hugged by her own father.

Alexis said something quietly to Rick and he saw Rick's expression still and then soften before he looked over towards Jim and then Rick stepped over to Jim, his hand outstretched. Jim grasped Rick's hand and pulled him into a quick hug.

Yes, this was a happy family, Brad thought.

He didn't have enough time to start to feel a little awkward, as the only non-family member present, as almost immediately, Rick turned and met his eyes—although Brad would have bet any amount of money that until that moment, Rick had entirely forgotten about his existence.

"Brad, let me introduce you to my wife," Rick said—narrowly escaping bursting with pride at the words, my wife. Rick reached out, sliding an easy arm around his bride's shoulders. "Kate, this is Judge Langford. Brad, my wife." The way Rick's voice was positively savoring those two words was both funny and moving at the same time.

Kate smiled warmly at Brad as she shook his hand. "Kate Beck—I mean, Kate Castle," she corrected herself with a laugh and Rick's expression softened, his smile suffusing with a mixture of tenderness and elation as he turned his head to look at his wife. "It's so nice to meet you. I hope we didn't inconvenience you too much by having you come here on such short notice. I'm not usually so impulsive but Castle, here, has been a bad influence on me," she said, although the words were belied by the softness of her tone and the loving expression she directed at Rick.

Brad smiled broadly, liking Kate Castle immediately. "Congratulations, Mrs. Castle. I would wish you both very happy but I can see that it would be redundant." Brad turned to Rick. "Congratulations, Rick. You were right when you said you're a lucky man."

Rick grinned. "I really am lucky, the luckiest," he murmured and Brad watched as Kate turned to smile at her husband as he kissed her temple and, again, they both momentarily forgot about the existence of anyone else but the two of them.

"Oh lord, I think if you two were any cuter, it might actually get to be sickening."

Martha's voice broke the moment and everyone laughed, Rick pulling an exaggerated face at his mother before deliberately pressing a kiss to his bride's hair.

But Martha's comment had effectively broken the ice and in a matter of minutes, the entire small group was making their way inside to where a dinner table had been set up and prepared for six people. And Brad found it impossible to even start to feel self-conscious of his status as the only non-family member present, pulled into the warmth and general conviviality of the casual gathering. Martha was an engaging and rather ebullient hostess and Brad fell into an easy conversation with both Rick and Kate as he passed on the greetings and congratulations of Chief Brady and they related to him the story of how they'd gotten to know John over their first weekend trip to the Hamptons as a couple. And as Brad listened to them tell the story—although he was familiar with the bare bones of it already as the news about Chief Brady's deputy being revealed as a murderer and drug dealer had been a huge source of gossip in the Hamptons for months—easily interrupting each other and finishing each other's sentences and gently ribbing each other, he found himself thinking that they were, in spite of the newlywed glow that still hung about them, acting remarkably like a long-married couple. Friends as well as partners, he thought, remembering that line from their vows.

Brad had seen a little too much of the world in the course of life and his job to believe in fairy tales and happily-ever-afters—and he knew that too many of the couples he had married in the last decade of being a justice of the peace were not still married to each other—but listening to Kate and Rick, watching them interact with each other and with their families, he had the oddest sense of confidence, even certainty, that this marriage and this family would remain a happy one. For the time of their lives, he thought thinking back to the way Rick had phrased it for his vows.

Yes, they would be happy, and he could only think that it had been a privilege for him, as a stranger to both of them before today, to be able to help them celebrate their love and their now-united family on this, the happiest day of their lives.

_~The End~_

_A/N 2: I was at first only going to make this fic about the conversation between Chief Brady and Brad and then I decided I had to write about the vows—oh, those vows!—again to see how they might sound to a stranger (I have no idea if I succeeded in that). And then I really wanted to write about Kate's first introduction to someone as Rick's wife, as Mrs. Castle. So, um, yeah, that's why this fic ended up being so much longer than intended. _

_For those who care, I imagined that what Alexis whispered to Castle when he hugged her after the ceremony was telling him about Jim's offer to let her call him "Grandpa Jim" (because I love it and Alexis would obviously tell Castle first thing). _

_Incidentally, I did look into the requirements for getting a marriage license in New York for the sake of this fic so it's true that there's normally a 24 hour waiting period that can only be waived by a judge in the county where one or the other of the couple lives (so that's why it's a judge in the city that waived the waiting period for Castle and Beckett and not the same judge who conducted the ceremony).  
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_Thank you, everyone, for reading and reviewing and favoriting the other fics in this little wedding series of mine. Happy Castle Monday—and on to the honeymoon (sort of)! _


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